Performance Books

Many, many great concepts and ideas in this book have changed and confirmed lots of things I do with my teams. Very valuable!!

This book, as well as all books by this author, are excellent. They are obviously an good resource for its intended audience of coaches, but it is also useful for any leader. I consider, and recommend this book to others, as my bible for leadership. It is easy to read and understand. The concepts build logically and interact well with each other.

An excellent resource not only for coaches and those involved in sport activities but also for parents and educators. Janssen and Dale talk about the importance of team building and the real reasons most kids get involved in sports: to have fun and to have social opportunities, among many others. That is not to say that winning is unimportant but rather that it is only one aspect of involvement with sports. A must read for parents and educators who believe winning is the ONLY thing.

This is very good. Well written, easy to follow, and very practical applications for yourself and your team. Most of this stuff I am going to implement or had already implemented.

For any beginning coach, or coach that is struggling with reaching your players, you must have this book. If your team is underachieving, this book will help. The references to successful coaches and their experiences is really a positive.

The one funny about this book, is how much it refers to Gary Barnett in a positive light. This is kind of ironic based on what is happening to him right now...

Coaches should buy this book...

Do not pay these outrageous prices - Brownells still list this publication in stock around $20. I would also recommend Surgical Speed Shooting by Stanford - do not let "gunfight" in the subtitle put you off.

Having read a few books on IPSC shooting like Brian Enos and Saul Kirsch I saw this book and decided to have a read, I was skeptical at first as it was written a in the early 90s and I though it might be a little dated. I'm happy to say my fears were unfounded this is a great book for IPSC along with the books by the authors mentioned above. This book also has chapters on the rifle and shotgun which is something not often found in these books so I found it doubly helpful as a 3 Gun enthusiast.

J. Michael Plaxco's book can be found at www.brownells.com for $20 plus shipping. Tad cheaper than almost $200 offered on the Amazon's site.

Author J. Michael Plaxco is an accomplished IPSC style shooter, a discipline which ostensibly focuses on more "practical" concerns than more static and purely accuracy oriented target disciplines. IPSC focuses on both speed and accuracy in a variety of situations.

Keeping that background in mind, Plaxco offers an excellent book that will give the reader both practical ways of improving their performance and a broad based theoretical approach to sports psychology and general performance enhancement. Reading and applying the many lessons in this book will dramatically enhance the skills of a tactical, military, law enforcement, or competitive shooter.

The book is written in an accessible and readable style, all the photographs are exceptional, and the layout is sensible. While I do not recommend this book for a beginner, it is an excellent source for someone who has had some basic defensive training skills. Police officers who are serious about developing their skills beyond the pathetic level learned in academy will profit more from this book than any other I can think of... IF THEY APPLY THE PRACTICE ROUTINES.

With that being said, this is not merely a book you read once. This is a book you read, you experiment with, you read again, experiment with, highlight, underline, and read some more. This is a guidebook to the self development and enhancement of motorskills. It's not just a bunch of random pointers, tricks, and insights.

This is the best organized and most useful book I have read on the topic of six-sigma and its role in driving business performance. Mr. Gupta builds on the core concepts behind six-sigma in crisp, clear language and links these concepts to highly practical techniques that can be readily implemented and tracked. No operations executive or consultant should be without this valuable handbook!

Praveen Gupta's book entitled "The Six Sigma Performance Handbook" is an excellent resource for individuals having the desire to learn how to benefit from the Six Sigma methodology. In reading this book, you will learn that application of the Six Sigma toolkit is within the reach of virtually anyone. You do not need to possess an extraordinary intellect. In fact, most of the tools described within Gupta's book indicate that a methodical application of qualitative and graphical methods are fully capable of taking you significantly toward the goal for which you are reaching. The book does also provide a good overview of the quantitative methods that may be applied to validate the proposed process changes. As one of the pioneers in the development and application of Six Sigma methods, Praveen Gupta has seen it all and this book is a great asset in raising the skill level of Six Sigma practitioners, whether they be new to the field or already possess a working knowledge of the tools.

I have found that Praveen's book is an excellent guide to the six sigma process. It takes one beyond the black belt image that six sigma has held and transoports you to the next level of managment excellence. His book a is a great guide to quality managers for problem solving and to all other staff managers and presidents to bring thier organizations to excellence.

This is the best book I have seen on Six Sigma. It covers all the key tools of Six Sigma in large breadth and depth. It is a must read for Green Belt aspirants.

With this book, I also had purchased the "Test Youe EQ : Find Out How Emotionally Intelligent You Really Are" and the "Counselling Athletes : Applying Reversal Theory".

Actually these books have been used by my son who are doing his Master Degree in the Psychology in Thailand (a small country in Southeast Asia). His aim is to go through the Sport Psychology Knowhow which is nothing in our Thailand at present. Not too many people know about what the Sport Psychology can do to their Emotional Enhancement and sports.

I had asked my son on what he get from these books, he told me that;

"Dear dad, all I can say is all the books are great and very useful. They become my bible for what I'm doing right now."

One thing I observe from my son is he is better in controlling his emotion and love his subject of "Psychology" much more than I have
expected before he entered this course. These books may contribute a great assistance to widenning his eyes and also his metal thinking.

Thank you for the writers, at least with your books, you help me guide a man to go for his dream. Thanks

Danai Bualert.....7/9/2007

The Sport Psychologist's Handbook is an applied Manual. I have started to work in the applied field, and it's very useful.. I recommend it too.

I have reviewed this book, and it's very practical...It's the first book to describe several interventions with specific teams and athletes (ice hockey, basketball, motorcycling, golf...). The Sport Psychologit's Handbook is an autentic Encyclopedia of applied sport psychologist!!!!!

This book is divided in two parts: 1. An overview of applied sport psychology (intervention with coaches, family, athlete, etc.), and 2. Consulting with specific sports (basket, soccer, ice hockey, cricket, handball, gymnastic, athletics, tennis, golf, rowing, figure skating... and more and more...). The Sport Psychologist's Handbook is a must have practical manual for applied sport psychologist, athletes, and coaches... The contributors are well-know sport psychogist, and they have experience consulting in different sports.
Definitly, I recommend this book if you are a sport psychologist...

Thank you so much for the research you've done through your book! Your research has completely changed my teaching "bed side manner." This very detailed information has been the key ingredient to making sure I stay circumspect in my assessment of issues related to stress.

This research completely illustrates the need to teach our students holistically with view past the symptoms.

I am finding the meat of your research to be all the impetus I needed to say what I always wanted to these students...

I teach completely differently having read your book.

I simply cannot say thank you enough!

Patrick Sheridan
www.PatrickSheridan.com
World-renowned tuba soloist
Founder, Institute for Performance Success (www.performancesuccess.org)

"I witnessed first-hand at AFTRA in LA one of Mr. Goode's lectures; how dynamic he and his book are. The concepts in his Stage Fright in Music Performance book are essential for actors at any level; not just for musicians. Stagecraft is musical in itself. I highly recommend it."

Lillian Muller
Film and TV Actor, Health Consultant, Author
Feel Great Be Beautiful Over 40
www.lillianmuller.com

Michael I Goode's book Stage Fright is one of the most helpful books that I have ever read. I have read many self help, spiritual, and inspirational books for many years. I rate this book with The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallway for its insight as to how the mind works. I have read Mr. Goode's book several times, and each time I feel as if I have learned more and more. I have recommended it to almost everyone that I encounter. I almost feel like a sales agent for Stage Fright. Many people that I have mentioned Stage Fright to say that they already have read it and it is great! This book should be in everyone's own personal library no matter what their occupation. There are several of us out there that have these issues discussed in Stage Fright no matter what we do for a living. I have used Mr. Goode's techniques for myself and for my students with much success. I would like to thank Mr. Goode for writing this life changing book!

This is a very encouraging book on overcoming stage fright, with helpful ideas that are enlightening. A must read -- highly recommended!!!

This is a great research tool for concert music. Although the CDs are separate, this book works alone as well. And this is just book one of many!

The book "Teaching Music Through Performance in Band" Has already been a great tool for me. I am only a Sophmore in Music Education school and it has given me numerous ideas of ways to teach and what is appropriate to teach. The book breaks down many pieces to show ways to explain the music to children in band how to perform them musically. It also offers them insight into the composers life and how the piece fit into it. This helps students relate so that emotion and thought can be put into the piece that they are playing.

This book is a wonderful source of information on many band works of different grade levels and styles. I liked the fact that this book has an extensive bibliography, enabling a person to study band music in even more depth. I wish that the author had included some band works that can be played by bands without full instrumentation. (my band has two trombones for a "low" section, and it is hard to play the beautiful pieces to their full perfection. I would recommend this book to college students, and I would also recommend that they try and listen to recordings of some of the pieces discussed.

I bought this book after having taught for 12 years. I really wish that someone would have written a reference such as this for my first years of teaching! This is a comprehensive volume designed to help the band director develop a concise curriculum for the high school (or college) band program. Included are chapters on rehearsal techniques, conducting basics, philosophies of music education, and justification for our music programs!!! The standout feature of this book, however, is its coverage of wind literature. For each piece, there is historical background, instrumental difficulties, suggested listening lists, and various activities related to the piece. This should be required reading for all college music education majors.

For any theatre professional, student or enthusiast. Highly recommend watching "My Dinner With Andre" as well. It's a film by Wallace Shawn.

Comprehending this book is no small feat. Sure, you start with the premise that competing with the technical spectacle of movies and TV is a fruitless pursuit. That's not difficult. Neither is the idea of embracing poverty in theatre and making the human being the only center of performance. That's dead easy. Spare costumes, little or no makeup, no sound effects, as few light effects as possible. Who can argue with that?

But this doesn't mean everybody can embrace Grotowski's vision of Poor Theatre. His is one that involves stripping away all preconceived notions of theatre from the early Modern period on. This will never fly in commercial theatre, dependent as it is on technology, nor will it satisfy many recent playwrights, who depend on technical do-funnies to make their shows work.

Grotowski also takes a funny view of plays, playwrights, and theoreticians who don't agree with him. Among other things, he considers playwrights as hired talent and plays as essentially malleable. He also suggests that the only way the writings of Artaud are useful in theatre is if they are taken elementally rather than globally - a position sure not to sit well with many avant-garde directors.

Because this book isn't a straight-ahead statement of principles, ideas, and practices, it yields its secrets only with difficulty. Parts of it aren't even written by Grotowski, but are interviews by other authors, or even observations that don't include quotes from the man himself. It was basically compiled to provide an overview of the ideas and products of the Polish Laboratory Theatre up to that time, and it encourages experiment and development by the reader.

This isn't to say that it isn't actually useful. There are exercises for actors; there are statements of theory for directors; there are even sketches, diagrams, and photos for designers. However, expect to wrestle with this book if you're going to unlock its secrets. Once you elect to start down this path, you have a long row to hoe

"Towards A Poor Theatre" by Jerzy Grotowski is probably the most important book written on acting since Stainslavsky's three famous character books. There is so little known about Grotowski and many people have tried to fake his work and people need to read the man's original words. Grotowski's vision of theatre has had the greatest effect on me more than any other person in theatre. He saw acting as a Holy experience where both the actor and spectator were transformed after the performance. Grotowski expanded from where Stainslavsky left off and drew his ideas everywhere from modern art to religious rituals to primitive theatre. Any one interested in theatre must read this book somehow and be changed forever like I have.

There is no better book that I have read on the theory and practice of theatre. As Peter Brook says in the preface, "Grotowski is unique. Why? Because no-one else in the world, to my knowledge, no-one since Stanislavsky, has investigated the nature of acting, its phenomenon, its meaning, the nature and science of its mental-physical-emotional processes as deeply and completely as Grotowski."

Grotowski argues effectively that the split of the stage and the screen necessitates that the stage redefine its focus. The screen with its higher budget and countless retakes will always beat the stage in richness. So, Grotowski posits "If it [the stage] cannot be richer than the cinema, then let it be poor." The rest of the book illustrates what such a poor theatre means in practice. Brilliant.

Nicholas Rudall's Euripides' The Trojan Women: Plays For Performance provides a new translation of a literary classic of pathos and war, capturing the classical drama in a new form designed as a play for performing to modern audiences. An outstanding literary work Euripides' The Trojan Women is highly recommended for any studying Euripides.

Diane C. Donovan Reviewer

Edith Hamilton, in The Greek Way, says that "Euripides is the saddest of the poets" and that "no poet's ear has ever been so sensitively attuned as his to the still, sad music of humanity." The Trojan Women, a heart-rending read, certainly supports these opinions.

Written in Athens in 415 B.C. in the throes of the ruinous Peloponnesian War, the play was a condemnatory response to the recent Athenian atrocities against the neutral Greek island of Melos. After taking the island, the Athenians executed all the men and enslaved the women and children. It was an end of innocence of sorts for the city that had long considered itself the world's citadel of what we now call civilization and culture. In criticizing it, Euripides reached back to the central event of the Greek epic heritage, the legendary victory over Troy, for his setting and characters.

The resulting tragedy opens in the aftermath of the slaughter of the Trojan men, with Troy in flames and the women being divvied up as slaves to the conquering Greeks. Euripides is unflinching in his depiction of the inhumanities visited upon the vanquished. King Priam's daughter, Cassandra, is raped by Agamemnon, king of the Greeks. His other daughter Polyxena is cruelly murdered. In one of the most moving scenes in all of literature, his grandson Astyanax, a young child and the only surviving heir to the Trojan throne, is taken from his mother Andromache's grieving embrace and thrown to his death from the highest wall of the city. In fact, the only pity and decency presented among the Greeks is found in the Greek messenger Talthybius, who cleans the body of Astyanax and brings it to his grandmother Hecuba after Andromache's pleading to bury him is denied as she is taken away to her fate as a Greek slave.

Many have read this work as a blanket indictment of war. I read it as a misanthropic perspective on human nature, with its glimmers of what we call humanity intersticed between the harsh reality of our cruelty, hatred and violence, a reality set free within the lawless terrain of war. Those with a rosy view of our genetic inheritance should generally be given fair warning before engaging the works of Euripides, and The Trojan Women is no different. That said, whatever one's views of our species, this is one of its finer artifacts and it deserves a wide reading despite the passage of over 2,400 years.

Having seen a staged production of this text at the Shakespeare Theater in Washington, DC, I am looking forward to reading the text in detail. In the theater, this was a powerful, painful confrontation of the effects of war on the victims -- the women and children. No heroes, no vainglorious praise of war. Just the horrors of surviving and loss. Troy becomes every war-devastated landscape. The parallels to Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, etc., etc. were not to be denied.

Rudell is able to bridge the centuries and make Troy contemporary. The language is both elevated (in the style of classic tragedy) and immediate in its emotional impact.

About 416 B.C. the island of Melos refused to aid Athens in the war against Sparta. The Athenians then slaughtered the men and enslaved the women and children, an atrocity never before inflicted on one Greek city-state by another. As preparations were made for the ruinous expedition against Syracuse, Euripides wrote "The Trojan Women," as a plea for peace. Consequently there is a strong rhetorical dimension to the play, which prophesies that a Greek force would sail across the sea after violating victims and meet with disaster. However, there the play also has a strong literary consideration in that the four Trojan Women--Hecuba, Queen of Troy; Cassandra, daughter of Hecuba and Priestess of Apollo; Andromache, widow of Hector; and Helen--all appear in the final chapter of Homer's epic poem the "Iliad," mourning over the corpse of Hector, retrieved by his father Priam from the camp of the Acheans. Whenever I have use "The Trojan Women" in class I have always used at least that last chapter of Homer to set up the play.

As with his last play "Iphigenia at Aulis," which tells of the events right before the Achean army left for Troy, "The Trojan Women" reflects the cynicism of Euripides. Of all the Achean leaders we hear about in Homer, only Menelaus, husband of Helen, appears. He appears, ready to slay Helen for having abandoned him to run off to Troy with Paris, but we see his anger melt before her beauty and soothing tones. In this play the Greeks do more than enslave women: they have already slain a young girl as a sacrifice to the ghost of Achilles and they take Astyanax, the son of Hector, out of the arms of his mother so that he can be thrown from the walls of Troy. Even the herald of the Greeks, Talthybius, cannot stomach the policies of his people. The play also reminds us that Helen was a most unpopular figure amongst the ancient Greeks, and there is no satisfaction in her saving her life (Note: you might want to check out Isocrates's "Encomium on Helen," an exhibition speech in which he shows off his talent by defending the hated woman). The idea that all of these men died just so that she could be returned to the side of her husband is an utter mockery of the dead. This translation by Nicholas Rudall focuses on the performance of "The Trojan Women," but it is certainly useful for those interested in the historical or literary aspects of the play as well. Another interesting analogy is to use this play in conjunction with "Lysistrata" by Aristophanes, so that students can compare and contrast an anti-war comedy and drama.

I loved this book. Drawing on examples of athletes, artists, scientists, and many others who have excelled in a range of fields, the book is both instructive and inspiring. Visionary behavior is living a full and well-rounded life, and the book discusses how developing various capacities in ourselves will help us achieve that. I found the book to be a nice balance of idealism and realism, looking optimistically to the future, but solidly grounded in the present. The real-life examples provide great models and nicely illustrate each point. No quick fix solutions or band-aids here. I think the book hits on some profound truths in a refreshing way that will resonate with people of any age and background. Reading the book made me want to be better and provided instructions on how to do so. I highly recommend it to others.

This is a book well worth reading. It is a step by step journey into the power of the mind. The author uses mental imagining to create a vision of those behaviors needed to find the path that leads to success.

He uses a variety of examples of successful people who have already found those secrets inside of themselves. This book provides the creativity,spiritual awareness,insightfulness,and guidance to help you become a self full-filled person.

This book is an intriguing expedition into the soul of man. It exposes one to a world of possibilities by utilizing the exemplars of our time and the science behind our innermost workings. If you're looking to enrich your everyday life and find increased meaning within the things you do and say, this book is for you.

Author Mike Weber unfolds a keen grasp of history, and spirituality in Visionary Behavior. He seems to have his finger on the beating pulse of our generation, as well as many past, present and future. He brings to light so many possibilities for mankind. His message of hope is written in a lovely, flowing way. He tells us how we got here, and where we might go in the manner of a strong, kind mentor. His ideas for building character, talent and wisdom are complemented by his ideas on leadership, and a better world. I loved it.

This is a very complex play although it seems simplistic at first. There were a lot of changes going on in society when Ibsen wrote this play in 1884 And not everyone was adapting to these changes. Some still tried to cling to the old way of doing things, and others were trying to force changes within their own sphere. (Is that so different than now?) Anyway, Ibsen portrays these varying degrees of acceptance with his characters in this play. And he does a masterful job of it. How can so much be depicted about the heartache and pathos of the human psyche within the limits of a five-act play? That is Ibsen/s genius.

so hilarious, so poignant, so daring, and so dense - teeming with life - the characters speaking their characterization - and such beautiful characters - and so wacko

Ibsen's philosophical "message" in this play disturbs me. I don't think I agree with Dr. Relling that each of us needs his own brand of self-deception to cope with life. Certainly Hialmar Ekdal is content enough, and hilariously funny as an lazy fool who thinks he's a creative genius in photograhy, a breadwinner to his wife and daughter, and a martyr to his father's scandalous past. Alas, his friend Gregers Werl points the way to the truth, that Hialmar is deceived about everything in his life. It would all be comical but for the fact that Hialmar's daugher Hedvig, who is probably not his daugther at all, shoots herself as proof of her love for Hialmar. So, Ibsen seems to say, here the truth has cost a young girl's life, an unbearable tragedy but for the fact that she was going blind. Well, no doubt there is cost in knowing the truth about oneself and about others, no doubt there are things we prefer not to know, and no doubt there are people like Hialmar who are impervious to truth. But there are also people like Hialmar's wife Gina, and Dr. Relling himself, who know the truth and who hold up nobly and well. For at least these, I think Ibsen should recommend truth in large doses, and perhaps he does.

Many find Ibsen difficult to understand. I certainly did. However, by reading The Wild Duck, I was introduced to an entire new world of symbolism and creative writing. Like the master he was, Ibsen paints a portrait of a family, representing all of us, living on a lie. Cruelty in our midst, innocent victimes and pragmatists losing to the vindictive, it's all there. The touches of comedy and tragedy just increase the impression that it does concern us, that really, he's looked into our lives and seen our lies, although hopefully in a less extreme version. And don't we all know a Hedvig, a Gina, a Hjalmar and a Gregers? Maybe there's something of the all in all of us... The book sucks you in, creeps under your skin and stays there, along with the horror, the anger and the sympathy you feel while reading. In my opinion, one of the best examples of Ibsen's less romantic period of writing.